Today, network resources are abundant. Network resources are those resources that communicate with a network. A network is any combination of two or more resources in communication, such as in an intranet or the Internet. Examples of network resources include printers, scanners, copiers, multifunction devices, printing centers, and copying centers.
Most network resources provide services to users of the network with which they communicate. For example, printers communicating with an intranet provide printing services to users of the intranet. A user desiring to print a document may select one of the printers communicating with the intranet in order to print the document.
Often users are familiar with a small set of resources. The user knows how to access those resources and, if necessary, where those resources are located. In some instances, it is desirable for a user to access resources with which the user is unfamiliar. Either the user does not know how to access the resource, the user does not know the physical location of the resource, or the user neither knows how to access the resource nor its physical location. The user may not even be aware that the resource exists, but desires to find a resource to meet the users needs. For example, a first user may desire to print a document to a printer in close proximity to a second user where the second user is a great distance away from the first user. The first user must somehow locate a printer near to the second user.
Conventionally, there is no simple or uniform method for discovering information about an unfamiliar resource. In some instances, web pages may detail the location, address, and capabilities of resources on a network. In other instances, the user desiring to learn about a resource must find someone to ask about the available resources.